The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime [Paperback]

Phyllis Tickle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2006

Phyllis Tickle, among the most respected authorities on religion in America today, is one of many modern Christians who observe the ancient tradition of praying the Divine Hours, also known as the Daily Offices. This final volume in paperback, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime, provides four sets of offices—morning, midday, vespers, and compline—for every day from October through January. Each includes prayers, psalms, and Bible readings for each day of these two festive seasons which include the Feast of All Saints, the Season of Advent, the days of Christmas, and the Epiphany.

Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. It blends prayer and praise in a way that respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity—yet it is extraordinarily fresh and vibrant.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Divine HoursTM is simply the best book for people who want to work prayer into the fabric of their daily life.”
—Bert Ghezzi, author of Voices of the Saints

“A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the Daily Offices . . . Tickle puts each day’s prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains—everything you need—in one place . . . The rhythm that Tickle’s book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy.”
—Nora Gallagher, Beliefnet.com, and author of Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith

About the Author

Phyllis Tickle has been reporting on religion for Publishers Weekly for many years and is currently Contributing Editor in Religion for the journal. One of the most respected authorities and popular speakers on religion in America today, she is frequently quoted and interviewed both in print media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and Time, and in electronic media, such as CNN, C-SPAN, BBC, and "Voice of America." She appears frequently on the Odyssey Channel and is a regular guest on PBS's "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly." She is the author of over two dozen books, including the recently published God-Talk in America. She lives in the rural community of Lucy, Tennessee.

Visit the Divine Hours Web site at www.thedivinehours.com.

The Divine Hours is a trademark of Tickle, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Image (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038550540X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385505406
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Worship & Devotion > Prayerbooks

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My go-to series for daily devotions, February 13, 2008

By 

M. Smith "cenmad" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime (Paperback)

Tickle has done a great service for everyone who practices daily devotions. Along with the "Prayers for Summertime" and "Prayers for Springtime," this book provides everything one needs to pray one or all of the Daily Offices (the night prayers of Matins, Laud, and Prime are contained in her "The Night Offices").

The book is broken into chapters by month, with daily Morning Prayer, Midday Prayer, and Vespers. Compline is the same from week to week within a given month, so Tickle provides the seven days of Compline readings at the back of each month. The Introduction also includes a history of the Divine Hours and some instruction in how the use the prayers. She encourages readers to chant or sing the psalms or prayers when appropriate, but affirms that silent reading, chanting, or singing is a matter of personal preferences.

Each day's Offices follow the structure of the Book of Common Prayer, although the old familiar Invitatories and Responses are replaced by other varied, often less-familiar, lines from Scripture. The readings are usually biblical, but may also be from Christian sources. All-in-all, each office takes only a few minutes to read to oneself, and is varied, accessible, and enjoyable. The book, itself, is easy to use (although a built-in bookmark or two would be great), the type is easy to read, and it's not so heavy I'm going to mind packing it for a trip (although it's not a small book, by any means).

I highly recommend this book and its companions for the Divine Office beginner or regular practitioner. Those new to daily prayer may also enjoy Brook's The School of Prayer: An Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, December 30, 2007

By 

Ron F. "Seeker" (Erie PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime (Paperback)

The Divine Hours was recommended in Philip Yancy's book, "Prayer". The daily readings are mostly from Scripture but has prayers from early Church Fathers and the Book of Common Prayer. After reading each day's prayers, praying became a joy instead of chore. I bought all three books!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book, November 22, 2008

By 

kkm1224 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime (Paperback)

I bought this book to help get me through the cold dark winter. It was in my recommendations from Amazon but I knew nothing about what the Daily Offices were or what a Compline was. When I got the book back in October I just started doing the readings four times a day. I found that this book is so much more than I expected. I have tried different forms of devotions in my life but this is the first that I actually look forward to reading.

The combination of Psalms, prayers, hymns, and other verses from the Bible helps me to center my thoughts on things that really matter throughout the day. Each reading is only a page or two long and takes maybe 10 minutes but each one has a powerful impact on my day and on my life.

Although I planned to use this method of devotions just through the winter I have now added the springtime and summer versions to my wish list.